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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. field — a subject
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. chair — a leader
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kick — in football
  22. field — for sport
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com